President Moon's Approval Rating Falls to 36.7%... Hits Another Record Low [Realmeter]

[Asia Economy, reporter Kang Nahum] A new public opinion poll shows that President Moon Jae-in's job approval rating has once again hit an all-time low.

According to Realmeter, which conducted a survey commissioned by YTN from December 7 to 11, 2020, the positive assessment of President Moon's job performance was 36.7%, down 0.7 percentage points from the previous week's weekly tally. This marks the second consecutive week in the 30% range and another record low. In contrast, the negative assessment rose by 0.8 percentage points to 58.2%. The gap between positive and negative assessments stands at 21.5 percentage points, which is outside the margin of error.

Looking at President Moon's traditional support base, the approval rating dropped among progressives (down 4.2 percentage points) and those in their 40s (down 3.7 percentage points), while it saw a slight increase in Gwangju·Jeolla (up 1.5 percentage points) and among women (up 0.9 percentage points).

Realmeter analyzed, "The results appear to have been influenced by several factors, including a partial cabinet reshuffle, President Moon's statement on the conflict between Choo Mi-ae and Yoon Seok-youl, the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination plans, and the Democratic Party's push to pass the revision of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials Act (CIH Act)."

Regarding party approval ratings, the People Power Party rose by 0.3 percentage points from the previous week to 31.6%, while the Democratic Party increased by 1.1 percentage points to 30.8%. The gap between the two parties is 0.8 percentage points, which is within the margin of error.

The People Power Party's support increased in Busan·Gyeongnam (up 4.4 percentage points), among progressives (up 2.9 percentage points), and moderates (up 2.2 percentage points), but declined in Daegu·Gyeongbuk (down 5.4 percentage points) and among those in their 60s (down 7.4 percentage points). The Democratic Party's support rose in the Chungcheong region (up 7.0 percentage points), among those in their 60s (up 6.4 percentage points), and progressives (up 2.3 percentage points), but fell among those in their 40s (down 3.9 percentage points) and moderates (down 1.6 percentage points).

In Seoul, where a mayoral by-election is scheduled for next year, the People Power Party recorded 34.1%, outpacing the Democratic Party at 30.2%. In Busan·Ulsan·Gyeongnam (PK), which is considered a barometer for the Busan mayoral by-election, the People Power Party posted 42.9%, significantly ahead of the Democratic Party at 23.3%.

Among parties other than the two main ones, the approval ratings were as follows: the People's Party at 7.5%, the Open Democratic Party at 6.1%, and the Justice Party at 4.4%.

This survey contacted 54,338 voters aged 18 and over nationwide, with 2,521 completing responses, resulting in a response rate of 4.6%. The margin of error is ±2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For further details, refer to the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.